NY, Brazil sign agreement for military training missions

Updated
5:54 pm EDT, Saturday, March 16, 2019

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The New York National Guard will partner with Brazil to conduct joint training missions and military exchanges.

National Guard officials say the state program agreement was signed Thursday in Manhattan by Maj. Gen. Raymond Shields, the adjutant general of New York, and Rear Admiral Guilherme da Silva Costa, representing the Brazilian Armed Forces.

The agreement is the latest program that pairs the state National Guard with the militaries of foreign countries.

U.S. military officials say the nation now has partnerships with 83 countries.

New York has sizable Brazilian-American communities in Westchester, Queens and Manhattan.

The state's defense forces include the Army National Guard, the Air National Guard, the New York Guard and the New York Naval Militia.